Substance over style: decisions in a split second
Tue, Sep 11 2012 05:37
| training, form, fighting, www.amaclub.org.uk, street fight, Wing Tsun Kung fu, jackie chan, EWTO, martial arts Altrincham, siu num tao
| Permalink
Wing Tsun is a simple martial art. It’s just not very easy to do. It’s not easy to choose the easiest path for many people either. As a teacher it is a constant source contention for people I see time and again. I was just like my students once, and as someone who considers himself very much still a student, I hope that I still am. The greatest difficulty one can often have when teaching is to demonstrate the best method, using the correct concept.
This isn’t due to a lack of skill or disposition for hesitancy on my part. I know not to ask my students to do something I cannot. The greatest problem is the nature of people. We all want the newest, shiniest, smartest toy on the shelf. Our inner child and our id conspire against us as students all too often. We focus on doing the coolesttechnique when the smartest concept is a better option.
I was always a pain in the arse to train with (yes Barry I still am, I know) even from my formative years of learning Tsun. I liked smacking people in the most flourish-filled ways possible. A straight punch was “boring” pretty soon. I now see the same mentality in people I teach, at the same point I was back then.
This isn’t due to a lack of skill or disposition for hesitancy on my part. I know not to ask my students to do something I cannot. The greatest problem is the nature of people. We all want the newest, shiniest, smartest toy on the shelf. Our inner child and our id conspire against us as students all too often. We focus on doing the coolesttechnique when the smartest concept is a better option.
I was always a pain in the arse to train with (yes Barry I still am, I know) even from my formative years of learning Tsun. I liked smacking people in the most flourish-filled ways possible. A straight punch was “boring” pretty soon. I now see the same mentality in people I teach, at the same point I was back then.
However as teachers we often assume the role of parent to our students’ child. Pleading, cajoling, bribing them not do fancy right then and there. The problem being when we ourselves feel like indulging them and ourselves! ‘You can do fancy later when you’ve mastered simple’ is an idea I find myself saying and hearing from my teachers all too often. It’s not hypocrisy but like a parent I want those following me to learn from my mistakes. To fast forward past the hours of bad training I wasted my time on, and cut straight to the “good stuff”.
A good example comes from boxing. A jab, cross will make or break your fighting style and ability to grind out a win. That’s not just my opinion but one shared by plenty of people. I’ve read Andre Ward’s coach talking about it being all you need in the amateurs – the pro game being where you require more variation and options. Presumably, he tells us this because to deal with tough more experienced opponents you need more options. I can’t comment too much as someone who loves to box merely as a hobbyist.
The reason I raise this is because it speaks to me about my own views on the fundamentals in any fighting style – more crucially in any fight. You don’t win points for style in a street fight. No one is going to watch the CCTV and rate your knock out punch (maverick lawyers aside). It’s a common source of feuds within styles, arts, lineages etc. Which form, what form, why do form at all when it comes to transmitting the basics?
I’m not here to debate the merits of who has the nicest Siu Num Tao merely that you need to start somewhere and there is a reason for centuries students began here. Dogma is bad, common sense is not. The problems occur when after years of common sense we let dogma take over. This conflicts with our desire as students to “move on” – the next technique, shinier technique, the more devastating one, usually from the next (read better) form is a ghost we all chase at some time.
I’m not here to debate the merits of who has the nicest Siu Num Tao merely that you need to start somewhere and there is a reason for centuries students began here. Dogma is bad, common sense is not. The problems occur when after years of common sense we let dogma take over. This conflicts with our desire as students to “move on” – the next technique, shinier technique, the more devastating one, usually from the next (read better) form is a ghost we all chase at some time.
Ask yourself this, when you train and when you fight hard – whether it’s sparring, rolling, retzev, lat sao whatever your art and predilection may be; do you train smart? I try to, but can fall prey to ego too. If you can honestly say you take the right option every time without fail, then I take my hat off to you. It’s that skill I am talking about.
I watch a lot of people fall into “monkey kung fu” as I call it. Dicking about, with flim flam actions and trying unrealistic attacks/defences instead of training what they are asked to. I recognise it because I used to do it. Why punch a guy in the face when you can drive a spinning elbow through his neck with a little more effort and determination right?
How about safety? How about ease? How about the day you have to use it for real and then deal with his mates who might be noticing your fight unfold on a dark, wet Manchester night? It’s much better to end a fight quickly and make it look easy than bust out your Jackie Chan moves to impress the ladies nearby. Therefore I think you should take stock and ask yourself, honestly, do I train like that?
One of the reasons I love Wing Tsun so much is it’s willingness to discard the sacred cows, to hold on to what works. Only MMA has a similar ethos in my experience. Regardless, if you’re lucky enough to do an art, or have a teacher that does the same – all power to you!
Just ask yourself this, when I train do I take the simplest path to the victory or the one I like the look of more?
How about safety? How about ease? How about the day you have to use it for real and then deal with his mates who might be noticing your fight unfold on a dark, wet Manchester night? It’s much better to end a fight quickly and make it look easy than bust out your Jackie Chan moves to impress the ladies nearby. Therefore I think you should take stock and ask yourself, honestly, do I train like that?
One of the reasons I love Wing Tsun so much is it’s willingness to discard the sacred cows, to hold on to what works. Only MMA has a similar ethos in my experience. Regardless, if you’re lucky enough to do an art, or have a teacher that does the same – all power to you!
Just ask yourself this, when I train do I take the simplest path to the victory or the one I like the look of more?
Gypsy Blood: Close to the knuckle
Fri, Jan 20 2012 10:55
| bjj, gypsy, bare knuckle fighting, boxing, fighting, www.amaclub.org.uk, street fight, fighters, escrima
| Permalink
Gypsy Blood aired on Channel 4 (10pm 19/01/12) to much interest from myself. I always watch C4’s forays into the insular world of travellers with a lot of guilt and voyeuristic interest. The derision and morally obliged sneering these programs create, are always sideshows away from what is an interesting and very real cultural ‘problem’ within British society.
The stereotypes and prejudices this community attracts are well documented and to a certain extent they are the skeleton for selling these documentaries to a wide mainstream audience. What Gypsy Blood tackled albeit somewhat ham-fistedly, is the phenomena that was once an everyday part of life for most people in Britain.
The scenes of hunting and butchery may have added an extra dimension to the violent and visceral nature of gypsy life, but it also highlighted just how people used to live and in many cases had to live to survive.
While you may find scenes of skinning and slaughter unsavoury; to eat meat in Britain and not know where it comes from when you pluck neat, vacuum packed chunks of meat from the shelves of your local supermarket, makes it hard to criticise people who make use of their own will and resources to feed themselves and their families.
As someone who grew up in a reasonably rural setting these ideas are nothing new and nor should they be seen to demonise a group of people. Unfortunately many comments over twitter as I watched the program seemed to use this as a second strand with which to condemn the gypsies on display.
In more mainstream culture boxing fans might be more au fait with the brilliantly named Tyson Fury. A gigantic figure quite literally, his moves into professional boxing give a glimpse of how the community finds itself both at odds with mainstream society and uses its ways to integrate in some small way.
The scenes of the children being educated in a mainstream setting should remind people that the power of education runs both ways. The cultural capital to these children is clearly very different to that of our own. How many middle class families insist their children now how to spot particular traits in working animals for instance?
Seeing a 7 year old boy check the wingspan of newly hatched chicks serves a stark illustration to the ways in which the travelling community are in many ways losing a race with the march of time and technology. It comes as no surprise that many of the complaints and accusations levelled at travellers can be traced not only to their status on the margins of society but the antiquated and somewhat odd way they have preserved their culture in ways only they see fit.
It is slightly ironic and coincidental that Channel 4 also regularly document the ways and lives of the Amish, who are perhaps a lot like the gypsies in being a somewhat maligned and stereotyped minority albeit in a much more positive tone. The supposition about religion and selective resistance to modernity might well be a way in which society at large deals with these groups.
For me the main draw was obviously the fighting culture that exists amongst gypsies. It is clear from both their treatment of animals and their own code of honour that fighting extends much beyond the man but out into the world. Like Filipinos and Brazilians the gypsies have a long and complex tradition in fighting cocks, dogs and each other to earn both reputation and status alongside cultural standing. This alone will be alienating to a society where fighting anything and anyone straddles and usually falls headlong into the criminal and subversive realm.
Interesting those countries mentioned above and their people would likely be seen in much the same ways as the gypsies are “lesser-developed”, archaic and in this case, vicious. But in those worlds the men who rear and fight animals or train themselves in the spheres of BJJ or Escrima respectively are not any different to the gypsy men who settle disputes with their fists.
Anyone who has the read excellent books A Fighter’s Heart or the sequel The Fighter’s Mind by Sam Sheridan will know the mixed feelings a little study and exposure these kinds of worlds can stir up in the Westerner.
The program showed this rather nakedly and almost indulging us viewers in the need to gawk and stare as the men threw punches, letting flesh and bone impact and collide. It was interesting to hear the familial lineage of the man whose grandfather fought so hard he lost a hand in the process of gaining victory. It was told in a way modern boxing fans might wistfully look back on the ‘Thrilla in Manila’ or Benn vs. Eubank etc.
While arguably the gypsy pugilists were accomplished and hardened fighters, it is easy to dismiss their brawn and brutish technique as a quasi-boxing style. What there might be in a lack of style is made up for in the truly universal spirit of ‘gameness’. The willingness to fight and the express wish for it to be passed down father to son was made plain numerous times. This is linked both not just to a sense of pride and self-worth, but also the reputation and future of the family within the community.
Parents in our society might well worry and endeavour for their children to strive for A level results and better themselves – here we see a similar paradigm placed on the ability and more importantly willingness to fight. Reference to the prejudices and difficulties these gypsies see coming from both their own community and the outside world were clearly evident amongst the numerous references to “not being talked down to or like you’re a fool”.
Feminists might cite with glee and some knowing glances; the overt masculinity to the point of parody even the pre-pubescent gypsy boys demonstrated for the camera, but aping their fathers shows just how predominant this culture is within the community.
Much disgust was rightly aimed at the lack of safety when allowing kids to spar and fall on concrete without any regard for safety. However it must be contextualised in two ways. First the question of how much of the scene was for the benefits of the camera and demonstrating the desired toughness the gypsies place so much value upon. Secondly we should consider whether this is any more dangerous than other sports and pursuits. In my classes children are never allowed to touch each other let alone spar; it is neither beneficial nor appropriate. However in the world were fighting is bred into you, it is a method that goes back to the year dot and is certainly no different to the millennia of training environments across the globe. It is simply alien and therefore shocking.
For anyone who has an interest in both boxing and its history they will be keen to point out that as recently as the Victorians Britons of all classes and creeds settled disputes in very public and very popular bare-knuckle matches. While far more bloody than some may care to contemplate the nature of bare-knuckled fighting actually seems far more palatable than that of professional or even amateur boxing. As Bob Mee suggests in his excellent if somewhat unashamed love letter to the bygone art of bare knuckle fighting Bare Fists the gloves of modern boxing cause far more damage and encourage far more trauma to the head and brain. Certainly the deaths in professional boxing that have caused so many accusations and controversies are far more shocking than the toll seemingly recorded in the annals of the bare knuckle histories.
Popular culture such as Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes franchise stars Wing Chun exponent Robert Downey Jr. who portrays the spectacle as Homes vividly meets and beats an opponent for fun! This longing and need to prove ourselves publicly and brutally was made famous by Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club made into a feature by David Fincher. It was particularly popular amongst young males in both formats but served as a reminder and insight into the masculinity attached to the desire and willingness to meet another man as the Ancient Greeks did and as these Gypsies still do.
Personally as a martial artist I see the pursuit of bare knuckle fighting as nothing shocking or new. These are pre-arranged fights and both participants are willing and able. Likewise there is a strict code and ethic attached to the fight both before during and after. Seeing the men shake hands and “put an end to the matter” struck me as far more, civilised than the brutal and savage street fights the news covers seemingly on a daily basis. For our society to judge with such an aloof and “informed” position leaves me uneasy to say the least.
For me, the programme had its problems and flaws but likewise the portrait painted of the travellers was a difficult and unflattering mixture of emotive themes and events. To pretend it is something new or specific to a underworld is utterly wrong and foolish. It is however a controversial relic from how life used to be and when framed in such a provocative community it is no surprise much of the outrage and disgust will be misguided and unbalanced.
Sandbags: An expert's opinion - by Josh Henkin
Tue, Jan 3 2012 11:10
| wrestling, martial arts, training, www.amaclub.org.uk, sandbag, strength, martial arts Altrincham, fitness, Josh Henkin, conditioning
| Permalink
Fads or trends? Cynics or innovators? It can definitely be difficult to distinguish at times. Especially true when you consider the constant bombardment of marketing and information that comes through the fitness and performance industry. Possibly no implement and training system has come under more debate than sandbag training.
It seems to be a polarizing discussion whether or not sandbag training is a valid form of fitness and performance. Even though sandbag training has possibly the longest history of any form of strength training (being traced back to Egyptian times), it still has a tendency to be looked up as a fad or an outdated form of training.
Trust me, just because something is old does not make it good or valid. We have to question if sandbag training does have such a long history why has it never seemed to be a staple of fitness programs over the centuries and especially now why is it necessary, especially for combative sports?
Having been a strength coach for over 15 years I constantly find myself trying to write better programs and develop better solutions for my clients. I was so intrigued by sandbag training because first and foremost it wasn’t “like something else”. Sandbag training itself is very unique from the movement of the weight itself to the drills that could be created. I was also intrigued by the possibilities of sandbag training after reading John Jesse’s landmark book, Encyclopedia of Wrestling Conditioning, where he didn’t just show your standard cleans and squats. No Mr. Jesse was far more innovative and opened my mind to the true functionality and possible benefits of sandbag training.
“The use of heavy sandbags and their large circumference forces the lifter to do his lifting with a round back instead of the traditional straight back lifting with a barbell. It is this type of lifting that truly develops a strong back. It develops the back and side muscles in movements that are identical to the lifting and pulling movements of wrestling.”
These comments didn’t make me want to jump into just doing “rounded back” lifting, but that we could make sandbag training so much more. With our homemade sandbags we could do some good things, but it wasn’t long till I started to find out why sandbag training never really caught on. Besides the obvious of being messy, homemade sandbags lacked true versatility, progression, and lacked the ability to address some key variables that are specific to sandbag training such as controlling the role of dimension. Any GOOD training implement must possess these abilities.
Once we address these issues we can then create training programs that truly address the needs of the combative athlete. For example, most coaches will perform sandbag training exercises such as cleans and shouldering for “power”. While these exercises are great for developing general qualities they lack the recognition that most combative athletes generate power from compromised stances or postures. Sandbag training allows us to transform standard weight room exercises like cleans and shouldering into more specific movements by integrating staggered stance, rotational, and combination movements that train the combative athlete in more functional positions.
Sandbag training allows us to move in new positions and postures, but also allows us to learn how to resist movement as well. In the last few years Strength Coaches have talked a great deal about the ability to resist movements in order to perform at high levels. This is due to the fact that many muscles have a dual purpose in supporting joints by resisting forces imposed by the body and/or opponent. For example the rectus abdominis is typically trained to perform trunk flexion. Yet, this muscle may more important resist trunk extension and help protect the spine.
How does sandbag training accomplish this goal? We can first manipulate holding positions of the sandbag. With most training implements, there are up to four ways to hold a weight to change the perceived weight and stability. In Ultimate Sandbag™ Training we have up to TWELVE options to change stability and perceived load by altering holding positions. If we look at squatting patterns we can use a Zercher squat (which challenges anti-flexion similar to a front plank position) or move to a Shoulder squat which far more greatly challenges the lateral stability system of the body that is crucial for dealing with the unpredictability of combative sports.
When you combine changing the holding position as well as body position you can create some very powerful drills. One of the favorite drills in our Ultimate Sandbag™ system is the Rotational Lunge. Instead of just having the lunge be a dominant Sagittal plane exercise we can create a multi-planar exercise that will address all the needs of the combative athlete from strength, stability, power, to endurance! While the athlete lunge backwards (which is a single leg pulling motion) and will rotate the sandbag from side to side during the lunging motion. So while the athlete is moving in the Sagittal plane the sandbag is moving in frontal and transverse planes.
When you start seeing a system of training with sandbags they become not an optional training tool, but a necessary training tool for great results.
Josh Henkin, CSCS is the Creator of the Ultimate Sandbag™ Training System. His Ultimate Sandbag™ System has become a highly sought after program in the realm of functional fitness by having Coach Henkin present to over ten countries and numerous US National Conferences. Coach Henkin has worked with SWAT Teams, US Army Special Forces Recruiting Battalion, Professional Athletes, and many fitness enthusiasts. Find out more at http://www.dvrtfitness.com/
It is with great pride I welcome Josh as our first expert and coach bold enough to offer us all his opinions and experience. I hope that like me you found the above article inspiring and thought provoking. If you are or know an expert in any given field related to fitness and martial arts, please feel free to share with the world your thoughts.
Again my thanks to Josh and all of you for reading this blog.
It seems to be a polarizing discussion whether or not sandbag training is a valid form of fitness and performance. Even though sandbag training has possibly the longest history of any form of strength training (being traced back to Egyptian times), it still has a tendency to be looked up as a fad or an outdated form of training.
Trust me, just because something is old does not make it good or valid. We have to question if sandbag training does have such a long history why has it never seemed to be a staple of fitness programs over the centuries and especially now why is it necessary, especially for combative sports?
Having been a strength coach for over 15 years I constantly find myself trying to write better programs and develop better solutions for my clients. I was so intrigued by sandbag training because first and foremost it wasn’t “like something else”. Sandbag training itself is very unique from the movement of the weight itself to the drills that could be created. I was also intrigued by the possibilities of sandbag training after reading John Jesse’s landmark book, Encyclopedia of Wrestling Conditioning, where he didn’t just show your standard cleans and squats. No Mr. Jesse was far more innovative and opened my mind to the true functionality and possible benefits of sandbag training.
“The use of heavy sandbags and their large circumference forces the lifter to do his lifting with a round back instead of the traditional straight back lifting with a barbell. It is this type of lifting that truly develops a strong back. It develops the back and side muscles in movements that are identical to the lifting and pulling movements of wrestling.”
These comments didn’t make me want to jump into just doing “rounded back” lifting, but that we could make sandbag training so much more. With our homemade sandbags we could do some good things, but it wasn’t long till I started to find out why sandbag training never really caught on. Besides the obvious of being messy, homemade sandbags lacked true versatility, progression, and lacked the ability to address some key variables that are specific to sandbag training such as controlling the role of dimension. Any GOOD training implement must possess these abilities.
Once we address these issues we can then create training programs that truly address the needs of the combative athlete. For example, most coaches will perform sandbag training exercises such as cleans and shouldering for “power”. While these exercises are great for developing general qualities they lack the recognition that most combative athletes generate power from compromised stances or postures. Sandbag training allows us to transform standard weight room exercises like cleans and shouldering into more specific movements by integrating staggered stance, rotational, and combination movements that train the combative athlete in more functional positions.
Sandbag training allows us to move in new positions and postures, but also allows us to learn how to resist movement as well. In the last few years Strength Coaches have talked a great deal about the ability to resist movements in order to perform at high levels. This is due to the fact that many muscles have a dual purpose in supporting joints by resisting forces imposed by the body and/or opponent. For example the rectus abdominis is typically trained to perform trunk flexion. Yet, this muscle may more important resist trunk extension and help protect the spine.
How does sandbag training accomplish this goal? We can first manipulate holding positions of the sandbag. With most training implements, there are up to four ways to hold a weight to change the perceived weight and stability. In Ultimate Sandbag™ Training we have up to TWELVE options to change stability and perceived load by altering holding positions. If we look at squatting patterns we can use a Zercher squat (which challenges anti-flexion similar to a front plank position) or move to a Shoulder squat which far more greatly challenges the lateral stability system of the body that is crucial for dealing with the unpredictability of combative sports.
When you combine changing the holding position as well as body position you can create some very powerful drills. One of the favorite drills in our Ultimate Sandbag™ system is the Rotational Lunge. Instead of just having the lunge be a dominant Sagittal plane exercise we can create a multi-planar exercise that will address all the needs of the combative athlete from strength, stability, power, to endurance! While the athlete lunge backwards (which is a single leg pulling motion) and will rotate the sandbag from side to side during the lunging motion. So while the athlete is moving in the Sagittal plane the sandbag is moving in frontal and transverse planes.
When you start seeing a system of training with sandbags they become not an optional training tool, but a necessary training tool for great results.
Josh Henkin, CSCS is the Creator of the Ultimate Sandbag™ Training System. His Ultimate Sandbag™ System has become a highly sought after program in the realm of functional fitness by having Coach Henkin present to over ten countries and numerous US National Conferences. Coach Henkin has worked with SWAT Teams, US Army Special Forces Recruiting Battalion, Professional Athletes, and many fitness enthusiasts. Find out more at http://www.dvrtfitness.com/
It is with great pride I welcome Josh as our first expert and coach bold enough to offer us all his opinions and experience. I hope that like me you found the above article inspiring and thought provoking. If you are or know an expert in any given field related to fitness and martial arts, please feel free to share with the world your thoughts.
Again my thanks to Josh and all of you for reading this blog.
Review of 2011 - Year 1 of Altrincham Martial Arts Club
Thu, Dec 29 2011 04:11
| www.amaclub.org.uk
| Permalink
Well 2011 really is a year for the history books for us. Although I've been teaching in Altrincham for over 3 years this year marked a massive change. Shaking off the shackles of KickStart Martial Arts the birth of Altrincham Martial Arts Club came early in 2011.
A new look, a new brand and complete freedom to teach everything that people needed from a local and friendly martial arts club. Growing in numbers our old students welcomed new faces and new material. An expansion lead to a new partnership.
Joining up with the well established Wing Tsun in Leeds (http://www.wtnorth.co.uk/) a brilliant new era began. Returning to my roots with the EWTO unlocked the potential for everyone to benefit from the teachings of Grandmaster Kernspecht (pictured).
We also added a whole new dimension to our club with the return of our highly popular programs for kids. From the ages of 4 and up we provide exciting and fun classes that educate children in more than martial arts. Developing their skills, demonstrating respect, discipline and good behaviour we offer classes that build upon what kids already know and do.
These have proved so popular we'll be opening them up to even more children - if you'd like to see your child's potential unlocked take a look here (Kid's Classes) There will be so much more on offer for children in 2012 with more gradings, more classes and more friends to make!
Likewise for the adults our growth will mean greater access to what you want - whether it's traditional kung fu, top notch conditioning, weapons programs or just something fun to do it's all here at Altrincham Martial Arts Club.
Look out for our eyecatching adverts, big savings in January and ways to get involved all over the community in 2012.
Best Wishes,
Matt Townsend (1TG)
Head Instructor Altrincham Martial Arts Club
A new look, a new brand and complete freedom to teach everything that people needed from a local and friendly martial arts club. Growing in numbers our old students welcomed new faces and new material. An expansion lead to a new partnership.
Joining up with the well established Wing Tsun in Leeds (http://www.wtnorth.co.uk/) a brilliant new era began. Returning to my roots with the EWTO unlocked the potential for everyone to benefit from the teachings of Grandmaster Kernspecht (pictured).
We also added a whole new dimension to our club with the return of our highly popular programs for kids. From the ages of 4 and up we provide exciting and fun classes that educate children in more than martial arts. Developing their skills, demonstrating respect, discipline and good behaviour we offer classes that build upon what kids already know and do.
These have proved so popular we'll be opening them up to even more children - if you'd like to see your child's potential unlocked take a look here (Kid's Classes) There will be so much more on offer for children in 2012 with more gradings, more classes and more friends to make!
Likewise for the adults our growth will mean greater access to what you want - whether it's traditional kung fu, top notch conditioning, weapons programs or just something fun to do it's all here at Altrincham Martial Arts Club.
Look out for our eyecatching adverts, big savings in January and ways to get involved all over the community in 2012.
Best Wishes,
Matt Townsend (1TG)
Head Instructor Altrincham Martial Arts Club
The eternal question: Part III
Tue, Dec 27 2011 08:56
| krav maga, MMA, martial arts, sambo, www.amaclub.org.uk, Wing Tsun Kung fu, martial arts Altrincham, Japanese martial arts, systema
| Permalink
In parts one and two of this mini-saga cum blog post I have discussed the various aspects of how valid any given martial art is to practice and pursue. Of course all arts have their wheres and what for’s when it comes to what they do, however my perspective is heavily coloured by my main art Wing Tsun.
Previously discussed have been the common anxieties over the validity of the art, the transmission of it from teacher to student and the context of the training room, street and competitive arenas in which one might use their hard won skills. Today however I want to add the third common perspective on applying your art and that’s the use of it by the military and police forces around the world.
Martial arts tend to fall into the “sport” and “practical” camps broadly speaking the taboo really being over the deadly aspects of specific techniques being the main distraction for many who forget one can die in the ring just as easily as a “practical” practitioner may or may not choose to kill someone else in a given fight.
However there is a strong following amongst martial artists on forums and beneath YouTube videos that reveal a slightly bizarre almost political bent towards a specific cluster of martial arts devised and used by various military forces. This is reflected in the marketing devices of “new” to the high street arts such as Krav Maga and to a lesser extent Systema/Sambo of Russia. Throw in recent references and uses in Hollywood blockbusters, and it’s easy to understand the explosion of these arts.
But on these forums you will see arguments about the SEALs (USA navy) vs. the Spetsnatz littered throughout relevant and often irrelevant discussions on learning and practising any given art. It usually centres upon a childish desire similar to who would win a fight – Batman or Superman? The desire to don combat pants instead of rash guards is not always an invalid one, far from it. However as you will see from the monster thread below (wading through it is not necessary) there are loaded assumptions with opting for a ‘military’ outlook on your training.
http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102789
The art you choose often defines you for other people and the sort of people attracted to an art can be subject plenty of labels and assumptions. Military arts if you like, are no different. Often some may worry about an unhealthy obsession with the constant onus on death, destruction and weaponry but to be honest these arts no different to Japanese arts with their roots in feudal society or the monastic roots of Chinese Kung Fu. It’s simply that the AK47 s the mechanised equivalent of the katana et al.
One thing WT emphasises is its creation as an art for the little person to overcome the much bigger, stronger more aggressive foe. What the military has however is a minimum requirement of physical fitness before you can join, likewise this is a point rarely mentioned or glossed over by many people. It weakens somewhat the position of “well the army use it” type of thinking.
What can be said however is that the WT masters have visited and trained many units all over the world including in Europe and India as well as across Asia. The famous Krav was largely kept to Israel thanks to its newness. Likewise the Russians have been using Sambo since its inception taken from Japanese arts on a large scale since the 1940s the real question is what these arts were used for. Only since the end of Communism and the cultural mixing with Russia has its martial arts had much western scrutiny after nearly a century in isolation.
Above is one version of Wing Tsun being framed in a military context. The problems with these kind of demonstrations are fairly self-evident as the notion of "real" runs in opposition to staging something.
The Japanese arts were very relevant to military power centuries ago whilst the Russians and Israelis had very specific needs and demands in new and different environment thanks largely to the mechanisation and use of guns which consigned the Samurai to the history books. If people bear this in mind it’s easy to see that validity is really what you make of it. Many martial arts historians are often keen to note that medieval Europe had techniques that “look a lot like Jiu Jitsu” or that the Victorians practised a version of Jitsu utilising their canes and knives etc. Does this mean Jitsu is not a Japanese invention by approximation of British fight culture? No, probably not. Does it mean that universal truth to facing an armed attacker when unarmed is quite similar? I’d say so.
The historical and cultural connotations of your art should never be ignored but they should frame it not place it in a cage. The fundamentals of disarming an attacking should be relatively universal. It is not for us to question why the Filipinos use sticks almost exclusively and as a base for all of their better known fighting arts. What we should do is consider the skills this gives the practitioner and how useful they are in everyday life. After all it is incredibly recently where society didn’t dictate the need to be armed, and the likelihood of using and facing weapons on an everyday level.
This is really what you need to consider again, it’s not what your art can do for you but what can you do with your art? What truths have been exposed as fraudulent or left to antiquity and what will always remain useful to anyone willing or needing to fight?
Research and reading help you place your questions and concerns. Training whatever and wherever it may be should answer them.
The eternal question: Part 1
The eternal question: part 2
Previously discussed have been the common anxieties over the validity of the art, the transmission of it from teacher to student and the context of the training room, street and competitive arenas in which one might use their hard won skills. Today however I want to add the third common perspective on applying your art and that’s the use of it by the military and police forces around the world.
Martial arts tend to fall into the “sport” and “practical” camps broadly speaking the taboo really being over the deadly aspects of specific techniques being the main distraction for many who forget one can die in the ring just as easily as a “practical” practitioner may or may not choose to kill someone else in a given fight.
However there is a strong following amongst martial artists on forums and beneath YouTube videos that reveal a slightly bizarre almost political bent towards a specific cluster of martial arts devised and used by various military forces. This is reflected in the marketing devices of “new” to the high street arts such as Krav Maga and to a lesser extent Systema/Sambo of Russia. Throw in recent references and uses in Hollywood blockbusters, and it’s easy to understand the explosion of these arts.
But on these forums you will see arguments about the SEALs (USA navy) vs. the Spetsnatz littered throughout relevant and often irrelevant discussions on learning and practising any given art. It usually centres upon a childish desire similar to who would win a fight – Batman or Superman? The desire to don combat pants instead of rash guards is not always an invalid one, far from it. However as you will see from the monster thread below (wading through it is not necessary) there are loaded assumptions with opting for a ‘military’ outlook on your training.
http://www.martialartsplanet.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102789
The art you choose often defines you for other people and the sort of people attracted to an art can be subject plenty of labels and assumptions. Military arts if you like, are no different. Often some may worry about an unhealthy obsession with the constant onus on death, destruction and weaponry but to be honest these arts no different to Japanese arts with their roots in feudal society or the monastic roots of Chinese Kung Fu. It’s simply that the AK47 s the mechanised equivalent of the katana et al.
One thing WT emphasises is its creation as an art for the little person to overcome the much bigger, stronger more aggressive foe. What the military has however is a minimum requirement of physical fitness before you can join, likewise this is a point rarely mentioned or glossed over by many people. It weakens somewhat the position of “well the army use it” type of thinking.
What can be said however is that the WT masters have visited and trained many units all over the world including in Europe and India as well as across Asia. The famous Krav was largely kept to Israel thanks to its newness. Likewise the Russians have been using Sambo since its inception taken from Japanese arts on a large scale since the 1940s the real question is what these arts were used for. Only since the end of Communism and the cultural mixing with Russia has its martial arts had much western scrutiny after nearly a century in isolation.
Above is one version of Wing Tsun being framed in a military context. The problems with these kind of demonstrations are fairly self-evident as the notion of "real" runs in opposition to staging something.
The Japanese arts were very relevant to military power centuries ago whilst the Russians and Israelis had very specific needs and demands in new and different environment thanks largely to the mechanisation and use of guns which consigned the Samurai to the history books. If people bear this in mind it’s easy to see that validity is really what you make of it. Many martial arts historians are often keen to note that medieval Europe had techniques that “look a lot like Jiu Jitsu” or that the Victorians practised a version of Jitsu utilising their canes and knives etc. Does this mean Jitsu is not a Japanese invention by approximation of British fight culture? No, probably not. Does it mean that universal truth to facing an armed attacker when unarmed is quite similar? I’d say so.
The historical and cultural connotations of your art should never be ignored but they should frame it not place it in a cage. The fundamentals of disarming an attacking should be relatively universal. It is not for us to question why the Filipinos use sticks almost exclusively and as a base for all of their better known fighting arts. What we should do is consider the skills this gives the practitioner and how useful they are in everyday life. After all it is incredibly recently where society didn’t dictate the need to be armed, and the likelihood of using and facing weapons on an everyday level.
This is really what you need to consider again, it’s not what your art can do for you but what can you do with your art? What truths have been exposed as fraudulent or left to antiquity and what will always remain useful to anyone willing or needing to fight?
Research and reading help you place your questions and concerns. Training whatever and wherever it may be should answer them.
The eternal question: Part 1
The eternal question: part 2
The eternal question: Part II
Thu, Dec 22 2011 10:48
| MMA, bjj, martial arts, muay thai, www.amaclub.org.uk, EWTO, martial arts Altrincham, Bruce Lee, kickboxing, self defence
| Permalink
Yesterday I wrote about the eternal dilemma of your martial arts “working” – a topic as grand and broad as this deserves more than a simple post. Those of you who read part one will know my views on the art being only a small part of the equation. Today I want to talk about the pitfalls and the benefits of cross-training.
Cross-training doesn’t refer to the gym machine of the same name but actually training in different arts, styles and more importantly ranges. Wing Tsun’s most famous son is undoubtedly Bruce Lee. Lee was famous for many things but his most appealing influence was his approach to breaking down barriers. Cultural and stylistically he did his best to ask questions and answer them. This was an admirable and brave decision given the cultural context of studying martial arts in 1970s Hong Kong.
Martial arts are riddled with egos, paranoia and mistrust towards not just other arts but other lineages within their own art. It is a sad, but somewhat understandable frailty of human nature.
Myself, having trained with various masters in different arts I like to think I’ve never shied away from facing up to the limitations of what I know and what I can do. Lead by my interests I have always complimented my Wing Tsun base with striking arts such as Muay Thai and Kickboxing – partly due to my physique being suited to them, partly because I simply really enjoy the contrast of pad-work and exercise with the methodical approach of WT, and partly because I wanted to see what these “simpler” arts have and do not have.
The answers were always enlightening. With a ‘white belt’ mentality I always try to approach a new training environment as best I can. I recommend this approach where possible. Throw away all you “know” whilst training and reassemble the pieces later in your own time. The big fear for people is that no longer being the top dog or even someone of average proficiency in the room can destroy all confidence. Being wailed on by guys with less overall experience but many more hours in your new art is a hurdle you must jump if you want to take away more than just bruises and worry.
I am always very impressed when a new recruit joins AMAC with this attitude, especially if they stay for any length of time. Therefore I try to embody this myself. But with this in mind what can another art be of benefit does it not simply distract and detract from time put in perfecting your primary skill set?
Yes and no.
For me it’s about satisfying my own curiosity. How can I as a teacher talk about other arts having never stepped into their world? I’ve seen it done suddenly often and respect for those martial artists is hard to come by. Secondly how can I say with any confidence that WT’s way is better? By training other things it helps me think about gaps in my own knowledge, faults in my own technique and lastly developing a greater understanding of my own body and how I use it.
This is crucial to the ideas I discussed in part one. The art I have studied changes as time goes by not just in content but in difficulty level too. Sometimes it gets harder, sometimes easier, by constantly appraising how effectively I can move and can learn new techniques allows me to use this knowledge when assessing whether my tan sau is as effective as it should be – it allows me to draw on a greater depth of knowledge knowing that other arts differ or concur with our way of thinking in WT.
This is important when trying new things out. Competition in martial sport springs immediately to mind. WT is well known for not fostering a culture or interest in competing. This is obviously down to the style and concepts behind WT being about disarming and maiming an assailant running at odds with the rules and nature of a sporting bout. While the MMA revolution may have made household names of various fighters and previously “unknown arts” such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and woke martial artists up to the possibilities and the panic of the ground game.
Even when I began training WT years ago the idea of fighting on the floor was snorted at derisively more often than not. Now it’s seen as an essential element for everyone. When one thinks about self defence though, the idea of rolling on concrete in the early hours of the morning as part of a self defence scenario seems somewhat ridiculous as well as dangerous. This is the main problem which causes so much angst.
Training should always be fit for purpose, if it doesn’t work, throw it away. If your experience and expectations are one of solely self defence, being king/queen of the triangles and chokes should be fairly way down the list. If like me you just love getting sweaty and up close and personal, they can become a fun and interesting exercise in the “what if” syndrome – mortal enemy of the “I don’t need” disease mentioned in part one.
People like to train in their comfort zone and as someone who loves and feel comfortable as a “striker” kicking and punching opponents until I can swarm all over them is my MO I feel the need to confess I don’t like the floor. It’s good for standing on and handy for bouncing other people off, but being down there isn’t for someone with long skinny monkey limbs like me. That’s why when the opportunity arises I get down there as quick and for as long as I can.
I know I can punch and kick – improving those is a simple case of reps now. I know my chi sau needs work, so I roll as much as I can. I know my form is always in need of polishing so I do that in my own time. But when there is floor space and a willing partner, ground-fighting is top of my list, because it’s still a whole new world to me.
So the next part of answering the eternal question is to ask you another one: what am I scared of doing in the training room? Go ahead and answer it in 2012.
Cross-training doesn’t refer to the gym machine of the same name but actually training in different arts, styles and more importantly ranges. Wing Tsun’s most famous son is undoubtedly Bruce Lee. Lee was famous for many things but his most appealing influence was his approach to breaking down barriers. Cultural and stylistically he did his best to ask questions and answer them. This was an admirable and brave decision given the cultural context of studying martial arts in 1970s Hong Kong.
Martial arts are riddled with egos, paranoia and mistrust towards not just other arts but other lineages within their own art. It is a sad, but somewhat understandable frailty of human nature.
Myself, having trained with various masters in different arts I like to think I’ve never shied away from facing up to the limitations of what I know and what I can do. Lead by my interests I have always complimented my Wing Tsun base with striking arts such as Muay Thai and Kickboxing – partly due to my physique being suited to them, partly because I simply really enjoy the contrast of pad-work and exercise with the methodical approach of WT, and partly because I wanted to see what these “simpler” arts have and do not have.
The answers were always enlightening. With a ‘white belt’ mentality I always try to approach a new training environment as best I can. I recommend this approach where possible. Throw away all you “know” whilst training and reassemble the pieces later in your own time. The big fear for people is that no longer being the top dog or even someone of average proficiency in the room can destroy all confidence. Being wailed on by guys with less overall experience but many more hours in your new art is a hurdle you must jump if you want to take away more than just bruises and worry.
I am always very impressed when a new recruit joins AMAC with this attitude, especially if they stay for any length of time. Therefore I try to embody this myself. But with this in mind what can another art be of benefit does it not simply distract and detract from time put in perfecting your primary skill set?
Yes and no.
For me it’s about satisfying my own curiosity. How can I as a teacher talk about other arts having never stepped into their world? I’ve seen it done suddenly often and respect for those martial artists is hard to come by. Secondly how can I say with any confidence that WT’s way is better? By training other things it helps me think about gaps in my own knowledge, faults in my own technique and lastly developing a greater understanding of my own body and how I use it.
This is crucial to the ideas I discussed in part one. The art I have studied changes as time goes by not just in content but in difficulty level too. Sometimes it gets harder, sometimes easier, by constantly appraising how effectively I can move and can learn new techniques allows me to use this knowledge when assessing whether my tan sau is as effective as it should be – it allows me to draw on a greater depth of knowledge knowing that other arts differ or concur with our way of thinking in WT.
This is important when trying new things out. Competition in martial sport springs immediately to mind. WT is well known for not fostering a culture or interest in competing. This is obviously down to the style and concepts behind WT being about disarming and maiming an assailant running at odds with the rules and nature of a sporting bout. While the MMA revolution may have made household names of various fighters and previously “unknown arts” such as Brazilian Jiu Jitsu and woke martial artists up to the possibilities and the panic of the ground game.
Even when I began training WT years ago the idea of fighting on the floor was snorted at derisively more often than not. Now it’s seen as an essential element for everyone. When one thinks about self defence though, the idea of rolling on concrete in the early hours of the morning as part of a self defence scenario seems somewhat ridiculous as well as dangerous. This is the main problem which causes so much angst.
Training should always be fit for purpose, if it doesn’t work, throw it away. If your experience and expectations are one of solely self defence, being king/queen of the triangles and chokes should be fairly way down the list. If like me you just love getting sweaty and up close and personal, they can become a fun and interesting exercise in the “what if” syndrome – mortal enemy of the “I don’t need” disease mentioned in part one.
People like to train in their comfort zone and as someone who loves and feel comfortable as a “striker” kicking and punching opponents until I can swarm all over them is my MO I feel the need to confess I don’t like the floor. It’s good for standing on and handy for bouncing other people off, but being down there isn’t for someone with long skinny monkey limbs like me. That’s why when the opportunity arises I get down there as quick and for as long as I can.
I know I can punch and kick – improving those is a simple case of reps now. I know my chi sau needs work, so I roll as much as I can. I know my form is always in need of polishing so I do that in my own time. But when there is floor space and a willing partner, ground-fighting is top of my list, because it’s still a whole new world to me.
So the next part of answering the eternal question is to ask you another one: what am I scared of doing in the training room? Go ahead and answer it in 2012.
The eternal question in martial arts
Wed, Dec 21 2011 09:57
| martial arts, fighting, www.amaclub.org.uk, street fight, Wing Tsun Kung fu, fighters, martial arts Altrincham, self defence
| Permalink
A fellow colleague was asked by his student recently “how do I know [Wing Tsun] really works?” It’s an interesting and age old question. Many people start learning a martial art for a multitude of reasons but usually they pick Wing Tsun because they want it to “work”. That is, it must defend them as easily and effectively as possible.
This mindset while not unreasonable is fraught with huge amounts of difficulties. If WT was easy everyone would do it. If WT was all you needed everyone would be invincible. As a teacher juggling your students’ expectations with their needs and the needs of everyone else in the room is the kind of multi-tasking that takes heroic amounts of effort and focus.
Sometimes (and only sometimes) it is necessary to overwhelm a student to the point where what they do doesn’t “work”, so they can feel the limitations and see their potential to improve and build something much better. Usually a better understanding of WT and a better version of how they employ the art is the aim and end result.
It’s not something you should do often but it can be a hugely beneficial experience which pulls people out of a rut or pushes them over the next plateau into a place where they can progress. That said, for the 99% of training time how do you show a martial art is beneficial to a student?
The answer is honestly, you can’t. You can demonstrate how it works for you, for your students, for half the world but that’s of little relevance if you can’t help someone see how they can share in that experience. Often this is the subject of selling yourself, your club, and your art to someone on their first or second class – but business needs aside, your club needs fresh blood as often as possible. Convincing people of the benefits of WT is essential.
So what really is it about Wing Tsun that works? Well it’s quite simple it’s the execution of it by someone fit enough, well educated enough and committed enough to practice and perfect it’s simple, but hard won rewards.
Whatever art you choose is only a fraction of the equation. The investment must also be made of your time, your patience and your openness to really succeed. Some arts are clearly better than others, but that doesn’t mean they are more valid than others. Being able to fight is innate you have to want it and be prepared to do what the other guy won’t. That applies to techniques as well as training.
Society teaches us from a young age to resist all urges to fight, but as animals it’s in there and teasing that out as well as combining it with the right concepts of martial arts is essential and this is one of WT’s cornerstones. As arts go, WT has very sophisticated and effective ideas underpinning what it is and what it does. That’s the crux of what makes it so good.
Like any art worth its salt it allows you to be injured, weaker, slower and less athletic than an opponent and still overcome. All of those natural advantages can be overcome with the ideas and by proxy the techniques concealed in the forms and training of WT. The mistake too many make is the “I don’t need…” syndrome.
Dismissing strength, fitness, diet, looking after yourself etc in the belief that WT alone is enough is the fundamental flaw of someone just waiting to get an all expenses trip to A&E. While you don’t need to be a world class athlete to be able to defend yourself, making the effort to train your body and equip with the capacity to perform every technique to its fullest potential is something anyone looking to really understand any art has to embrace.
The pasty runt with a pot belly that hides behind chi shields and bluster is no better than the witch-doctor of old. Passing off tradition and superstition as fact is still rife in some dark corners of the martial arts universe. People are wiser and more educated now just by dipping into the media coverage, youtube videos and forums that are everywhere these days.
So how do we know our art works? Short of taking the Tyler Durden approach and provoking strangers on a regular basis we must look to our own training and ask “am I making it work?” How often does a student ignore our advice as teachers? How often as students do us teachers think we know better? Humility is the key and honesty is the open door you have to walk through to get there.
Through training you can develop your own techniques and ideas and reinforce your learning. By slowly ramping up the intensity between you and your partner you can push techniques further and see how they work, illuminating your own understanding. But until that day comes where true aggression and an attack comes you won’t know how you will fare in any given fight, you will also learn how much of your art you have understood and taken on board.
Even the world champions of old know that you can lose, no matter who you are and some days it just isn’t your day. That isn’t a reflection on the art the art is merely a set of tools. How you use them is no reflection on the toolmaker after all.
This mindset while not unreasonable is fraught with huge amounts of difficulties. If WT was easy everyone would do it. If WT was all you needed everyone would be invincible. As a teacher juggling your students’ expectations with their needs and the needs of everyone else in the room is the kind of multi-tasking that takes heroic amounts of effort and focus.
Sometimes (and only sometimes) it is necessary to overwhelm a student to the point where what they do doesn’t “work”, so they can feel the limitations and see their potential to improve and build something much better. Usually a better understanding of WT and a better version of how they employ the art is the aim and end result.
It’s not something you should do often but it can be a hugely beneficial experience which pulls people out of a rut or pushes them over the next plateau into a place where they can progress. That said, for the 99% of training time how do you show a martial art is beneficial to a student?
The answer is honestly, you can’t. You can demonstrate how it works for you, for your students, for half the world but that’s of little relevance if you can’t help someone see how they can share in that experience. Often this is the subject of selling yourself, your club, and your art to someone on their first or second class – but business needs aside, your club needs fresh blood as often as possible. Convincing people of the benefits of WT is essential.
So what really is it about Wing Tsun that works? Well it’s quite simple it’s the execution of it by someone fit enough, well educated enough and committed enough to practice and perfect it’s simple, but hard won rewards.
Whatever art you choose is only a fraction of the equation. The investment must also be made of your time, your patience and your openness to really succeed. Some arts are clearly better than others, but that doesn’t mean they are more valid than others. Being able to fight is innate you have to want it and be prepared to do what the other guy won’t. That applies to techniques as well as training.
Society teaches us from a young age to resist all urges to fight, but as animals it’s in there and teasing that out as well as combining it with the right concepts of martial arts is essential and this is one of WT’s cornerstones. As arts go, WT has very sophisticated and effective ideas underpinning what it is and what it does. That’s the crux of what makes it so good.
Like any art worth its salt it allows you to be injured, weaker, slower and less athletic than an opponent and still overcome. All of those natural advantages can be overcome with the ideas and by proxy the techniques concealed in the forms and training of WT. The mistake too many make is the “I don’t need…” syndrome.
Dismissing strength, fitness, diet, looking after yourself etc in the belief that WT alone is enough is the fundamental flaw of someone just waiting to get an all expenses trip to A&E. While you don’t need to be a world class athlete to be able to defend yourself, making the effort to train your body and equip with the capacity to perform every technique to its fullest potential is something anyone looking to really understand any art has to embrace.
The pasty runt with a pot belly that hides behind chi shields and bluster is no better than the witch-doctor of old. Passing off tradition and superstition as fact is still rife in some dark corners of the martial arts universe. People are wiser and more educated now just by dipping into the media coverage, youtube videos and forums that are everywhere these days.
So how do we know our art works? Short of taking the Tyler Durden approach and provoking strangers on a regular basis we must look to our own training and ask “am I making it work?” How often does a student ignore our advice as teachers? How often as students do us teachers think we know better? Humility is the key and honesty is the open door you have to walk through to get there.
Through training you can develop your own techniques and ideas and reinforce your learning. By slowly ramping up the intensity between you and your partner you can push techniques further and see how they work, illuminating your own understanding. But until that day comes where true aggression and an attack comes you won’t know how you will fare in any given fight, you will also learn how much of your art you have understood and taken on board.
Even the world champions of old know that you can lose, no matter who you are and some days it just isn’t your day. That isn’t a reflection on the art the art is merely a set of tools. How you use them is no reflection on the toolmaker after all.